Snap hook

ABSTRACT

There is provided a novel Snap Hook of the type commonly known as lanyard hooks having a suspending means readily adaptible for use in key cases.

United States Patent [1 1 Hills July 23, 1974 SNAP HOOK [76] Inventor:Marvin S. Hills, 125 Springfield Rd.,

Elizabeth, NJ. 07208 [22] Filed: Oct. 13, 1972 [21] Appl. No.1 298,714

[52] US. Cl. 24/237, 70/456 B [51] Int. Cl A44b 13/02 [58] Field ofSearch "24/236, 237, 240;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Clevenger 70/457 1,648,01611/1927 Freysinger 24/237 2,019,691 11/1935 Morehouse 24/237 2,197,2184/1940 Geller 70/459 2,198,092 4/1940 Schor et a1 24/236 2,574,57911/1951 McCoy et a1. 70/457 Primary ExaminerBobby R. Gay

Assistant Examiner-Kenneth J. Dorner Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Omri M.Behr; Peter J. Gaylor [5 7] ABSTRACT There is provided a novel Snap Hookof the type commonly known as lanyard hooks having a suspending meansreadily adaptible for use in key cases.

l Claim, 7 Drawing Figures 1 SNAP HOO DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Manytypes of hooks for vuse in key cases are known as are different methodsfor suspending such hooks. It has been found that hooks of the lanyardtype are particularly favored by ladies for this purpose since keys maybe readily inserted in and taken out of such hooks without the danger ofbreaking or cracking long fingernails. The characteristic of the lanyardhook is that the hook is maintained closed by the outward pressure ofone portion of the hookupon the other. This is in contrast to many lessexpensive types of hooks which are undesirable for .the reason statedabove and which are kept closed by inward pressure of one member uponthe other. The conventional type of lanyard hook is illustrated in Freysinger US. Pat. No. 1,648,016 and another somewhatless conventionaltype of lanyard hook is illustrated in Morehouse US. Pat. No. 2,019,691.One of the principle production problems associated with hooks of thelanyard type has been the method of suspending such a hook particularlywhere it is desired to use it in a key carrying case. Of necessity thelanyard hook in all its variations comprises a substantially flat metalstrip bent around upon itself. There is no way to provide it with anintegral suspending arm. The suspending means must beseparate as isillustrated by the Freysinger and Morehouse hooks referred to above.

It is desirable that the suspending means utilized should make availableas many degrees of rotatory freedom as possible. In hooks of thenon-lanyard type, it has been found convenient to impact one end of thehook into a head of diameter greater than the wire utilized for the hookitself. Such hooks are illustrated in Zarowin US. Pat. Nos. 2,232,503,Reis 2,548,820 and Robinson 2,972,880. As will be clear from aninspection of these devices the solution is not adaptable for use withlanyard hooks since a lanyard hook does not have an available end.Furthermore, such a device may be rotated substantially only in oneplane though about two axes.

A partial solution to the problems of fingernail breaking and rotationare offered by Geller US. Pat. No. 2,197,218 who utilizes adumbbell as asuspending means. The Geller solution however is somewhat cumbersomesince in order to place a key on a key hook it isnecessary todisassemble the entire retaining device,

move one end of the dumbbellthrough a portion of the I hook and reversethe procedure'Furthermore, Geller is still limited to rotation insubstantially one plane.

A partial solution to the rotation problem is offered by the doubleloops utilized in the Morehouse clasp,

however this necessitates the use of an additional portion in the deviceand is somewhat cumbersome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION taining means, for example, of the typeillustrated in Zarowin, Reis, and Robinson supra but provides a fargreater number of degrees of freedom of rotation than are available tothe devices of these patents. The device of the present invention ismanufactured in a simple and inexpensive manner. The dimensions of thehook portion of the device are defined upon a flat metal blank. Anopening is provided in the central portion of this blank substantiallycloser to one end than the other, the opening having a first and asecond radial extension substantially parallel to the longitudinal axisof the blank. The dumbbell utilized as a suspending means isinsertedinto this opening which is then crimped to substantially close theradial extensions whereby the shaft portion of the dumbbell is slideablybut irremovably retained therein. The rest of the hook is then formedinthe conventional manner. Alternatively the hook may be bent in theconventional manner, the dumbbell inserted and the crimping executed asthe final step.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the metal blankutilized to manufacture the hook of the present invention hav-v ing theoutlines of said hook portion delineated DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENTS The device of the present invention 50 comprises in essencetwo parts a hook portion and a suspending means. For reasons ofconvenience, although the hook portion is manufactured from a singlepiece of metal, it is convenient to refer to it as having three separateportions. The hook portion 20 consists of a central portion 11 having ashorter extension 17 and a longer extension 19 extending from the endsthereof. Central portion 1 l is bent into the form of a substantiallyclosed loop with shorter extension 17 extending from point 53divergently from extension 19 extending from point 52. The free end ofextension 19 is bent into a U-shape so that end 18 thereof is locatedoutwardly of end 16 of portion 17. Extensions 17 and 19 are so mutuallylocated that end 16 presses outwardly against end 18 and when pressedinwardly will open to provide a space for sliding keys or the like overend 18. When the pressure is released from portion 17 end 16 will againcontact end 18, thus closing the gap. The suspending means for thedevice comprises a dumbbell 30 having ends 32 and 34 connected by shank36. The diameter of ends 32 and 34 measured perpendicular to the axis ofthe dumbbell is greater than the diameter of shaft 36 similarlymeasured. The upper central portion of segment 11 of hook 20 has anopening therein. The diameter of said opening is greater than that ofshaft 36 and less than that of head portions 32 and 34 of dumbbellshaped suspending member 30. The shank portion 36 is located withinopening 12 in such a manner that head 34 is located within the loopsegment of portion 11 defined substantially by points 52 and 53. Shaft36 is free In the process of manufacturing the device of the presentinvention there is utilized a substantially flat metal blank 10. Uponthis blank there is defined the outline of the hook portion 20 having anopening 12 withradial extensions 14 and lying parallelto thelongitudinal axis of said blank. While it is possible to define the mainportion 20, the openingl2 and the extensions14 and 15 in a singleoperation, it is generally preferred to utilize a separate definingoperation, ,suitably a die stamping operation for each definition thusfor example one stamping step for the outline of por- .tion 20, a secondstep for opening 12 and a third step for extensions 14 and. 15. Theorder in whichthese stepsare carried out in not critical. Thedimensional relationships between openings 12. and extensions 14 and 15with the dimensions of head portions 32 and 34 and shank portion 36 ofthe dumb'ell shape suspending member 30 are important. Opening 12 in theinitial steps as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 should be sufficient to permitends 32 or 34 to pass readily therethrough, however, the width ofopenings 13 and 15, measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axisshown in FIG. 1 should be chosen so that when the maximum width of 14 or15 is subtracted from the width of 12 it shall exceed the width of shank36 but shall be less than the width of head portions 32 and 34. Thedevices of FIG.

4 may be assembled from the components shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by one oftwo routes. In one mode, the hook portion 20 is bent into the generalform shown in FIG. 4. The head 34 suspending member 30 is then insertedthrough opening 12 and a crimping force perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of member 20 is applied to central portion 11 wherebyradial extensions 14 and 15 are substantially closed and the width ofopening 12 reduced in a manner sufficient to permit shank 30 to moveslightably therethrough but heads 34 and 32 are restricted from sodoing.

In an alternate mode of proceeding the suspending member is insertedthrough hole 12 the aforesaid crimping force applied to segment 11 andthereafter the hook portion 20 is bent into the general form shown inFIG. 4. Of these two modes the first is to be pre ferred.

Two minor modifications of the device are to be considered as within thescope of the present invention.

On one modification, shown in FIG. 7 the hook 120 comprises portion 117having end 116 thereof slightly off-set at point 121.

In another modification, illustrated by the blank shown in FIG. 6, theradial extensions 214 and 215 of opening 212 are tapered in the mannershown. In this modification the dimensions are selected so that thediameterof 212 less the width of extensions 214 and 215 where they meetopening 212 yields a dimension which is greater thanthe axial diameterof shaft 34 and less than the diameter of dumbell end 32 or 34.

I claim:' i

1. A suspendable snap hook, comprising: a pivotal, swivel anchor meanshaving a shank portion, a first head portion, and a second head portion;I

said first head portion being affixed to one end of said shank portionand said second head portion being affixed to the other end of saidshank portion, both of said head members having a maximum thickness whenmeasured perpendicular to the principal axis of'said. shank memberexceeding the thickness of said shank member; and

a hook means comprising a continuous bent strip of resilient metalhaving a front surface and a rear surface and a pair of parallel sides,said hook means including; I I V I a short segment having a first endand a second end;

a long segment having a first end and a generally J- shaped second end;and

a crimped eyelet section, said crimped eyelet section dividing saidfirst end of said short segment from the first end of said long segment;

said hook means further having a substantially pinched," closed loop,figure 8 configuration in which the second end of the short segment andthe I second generally J-shaped end of the long segment overlap oneanother and are urged together by the resilience of said metal strip ina substantially faceto-face, opposing relationship;

said crimped eyelet section further including a generally circularopening and a pair of longitudinally disposed radial extensionsextending from opposite sides of said opening in a directionsubstantially parallel to the sides of said continuous, bent strip ofresilient metal, the diameter of the opening of said crimped eyeletbeing greater than the diameter of the shank portion of said anchormeans and less than the maximum diameter of either of the head portionsof said anchor means; and

said anchor means is slideably and swivelably engaged within saidcrimped eyelet section, whereinsaid hook member is suspended from onehead member of said anchor means and said retached to suitable smallobjects.

1. A suspendable snap hook, comprising: a pivotal, swivel anchor meanshaving a shank portion, a first head portion, and a second head portion;said first head portion being affixed to one end of said shank portionand said second head portion being affixed to the other end of saidshank portion, both of said head members having a maximum thickness whenmeasured perpendicular to the principal axis of said shank memberexceeding the thickness of said shank member; and a hook meanscomprising a continuous bent strip of resilient metal having a frontsurface and a rear surface and a pair of parallel sides, said hook meansincluding; a short segment having a first end and a second end; a longsegment having a first end and a generally J-shaped second end; and acrimped eyelet section, said crimped eyelet section dividing said firstend of said short segment from the first end of said long segment; saidhook means further having a substantially pinched, closed loop, figure 8configuration in which the second end of the short segment and thesecond generally J-shaped end of the long segment overlap one anotherand are urged together by the resilience of said metal strip in asubstantially face-to-face, opposing relationship; said crimped eyeletsection further including a generally circular opening and a pair oflongitudinally disposed radial extensions extending from opposite sidesof said opening in a direction substantially paralleL to the sides ofsaid continuous, bent strip of resilient metal, the diameter of theopening of said crimped eyelet being greater than the diameter of theshank portion of said anchor means and less than the maximum diameter ofeither of the head portions of said anchor means; and said anchor meansis slideably and swivelably engaged within said crimped eyelet section,wherein said hook member is suspended from one head member of saidanchor means and said remaining head member of said anchor means isanchorable in a suitable external retaining means, and further whereinpressure may be applied to force the smaller section inwardly to openthe loop thereby permitting said hook to be releasably attached tosuitable small objects.